(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable input/output apparatus using a flat display fabricated in a flat plate form for use in an input/output apparatus for such apparatus as a computer and a word processor and more particularly to a flat display holding mechanism for holding the flat display on the main body.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In the above described input/output apparatuses for computers and word processors, there are those of portable type, such as of so-called lap-top type and hand-held type, wherein a flat display made in a flat plate form is rotatably held on the main body, which is also made in a flat plate form with a keyboard provided thereon.
First, a conventional example of such type of flat display holding mechanisms for use in input/output apparatuss will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C show an example of conventional flat display holding mechanisms. An input/output apparatus 1 has a main body 2 shaped in a rectangular and flat plate form, and at the rear of the main body 2, there is formed a rectangular parallelepiped protruded portion 3. On the top surface of the front portion of the main body 2, there is disposed a keyboard 4.
In front of the protruded portion 3 of the main body 2, there is provided a support shaft 5 extended in the horizontal direction, and a flat display 6 shaped in a flat plate form is rotatably supported on the support shaft 5. On the flat display 6, there is provided a display portion 7, which is structured of a liquid crystal panel, an EL panel, or the like, and adapted to look down in a closed state where the flat display 6 closes the keyboard 4 as shown in FIG. 8A. The flat display 6 is so shaped as to form a rectangular parallelepiped, together with the main body 2, in the closed state as shown in FIG. 8A.
With the described arrangement, by having the apparatus not in use put into a closed state, where the flat display 6 is turned down thereby closing the keyboard 4 as shown in FIG. 8A, the apparatus becomes handy to carry. When it is used, the flat display 6 is rotated from the closed state shown in FIG. 8A in a clockwise direction round the support shaft 5, whereby the flat display 6 is held in a tilted state with the back side of the flat display 6 supported on the protruded portion 3 of the main body 2. Then, the keyboard 4 becomes opened and the display portion 7 of the flat display 6 looks up at an angle, so that the operator is enabled to conduct some operations by operating keys on the keyboard 4 while looking at the display portion 7.
FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C show another example of conventional flat display holding mechanisms. This example is different in design from that in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C in that the protruded portion 3A at the rear of the main body 2 is extended forward to the position around the center of the depth of the main body 2, and, correspondingly, the size of the flat display 6A, including the display portion 7A, measured in the direction of the depth of the main body 2 is made smaller than that of the flat display 6 in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C. Since other design features are the same as those of the example of FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, description thereof will be omitted.
The apparatus structured as shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C can be handled similarly to that shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C.
However, the types shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C and FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C each have the following disadvantage.
In the case where the type shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C is used, the flat display 6 is greatly separated from the keyboard 4 as shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C and, hence, the display portion 7 of the flat display 6 goes away from the operator and becomes difficult to see. Further, the flat display 6 sticks out rearward from the rear end of the main body 2 as indicated by the length a in FIG. 8C and, hence, the flat display 6 is prevented from opening wide if there is an object present behind the main body 2, thereby making it possible that the input/output apparatus 1 becomes unable to be used.
In the case where the type shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C is used, different from the case of FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, the flat display 6A is not separated so much from the keyboard 4 and the flat display 6A does not stick out rearward from the rear end of the main body 2. However, the surface area of the flat display 6A becomes smaller than that of the flat display 6 in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C, and, naturally, the area of the display portion 7A becomes correspondingly smaller than that of the display portion 7 in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C. Consequently, the display on the display portion 7A becomes smaller and difficult to see.
In addition, since the tilted attitude of the flat display 6 and 6A in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 in the opened state for use is fixed and the tilted attitude is unable to be changed even when the display portion 7 and 7A become difficult to see on account of the ambient lighting and the like. The incapability of adjustments of the tilted attitude sometimes causes a problem in practical use.